


Growing Up Series

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade), Echosrevenge



Category: DCU
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-02
Packaged: 2017-12-31 06:53:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1028602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echosrevenge/pseuds/Echosrevenge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can Bruce and Dick get past each others fears with the help of a friend?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Secrets

“Bruce,” Dick said as he worked his way out from the shadows of the bat cave. “You’re not going out tonight.”

He’d just caught Bruce trying to suit up for the evening patrol, despite his injuries. Alfred had notified him subtlety that ‘Master Bruce was planning on going out when he should still be in bed’.

Bruce looked up and if anything his glare got more pronounced when he saw Dick already suited up as Batman. "I can handle a brief patrol. I'm not expecting anything to happen tonight."

“But what if something did happen?” Dick challenged. He was going to use the two most effective weapons he knew against Bruce… guilt and Alfred. “You’re already hurt and I don’t want to risk being left without you… and Alfred will wonder where you went.”

"Dick, if something happens I don't want you out there without back up," he said still trying to get his uniform on.

"Right, like I didn't take care of myself fine when you disappeared without telling anyone." Dick tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice over that recent incident. "Now let me do my job. You know you'd never let me go out if I was as beat up as you are."

“But I’m not you,” Bruce reminded his partner.

"Not like I could forget that as often as I'm reminded," Dick said. "Stop being stubborn and let Alfred know you’re staying in tonight. I'll be back in a few hours and I'll let you know if I run into anything."

“Dick you are *not* going out tonight,” Bruce said sternly, even as he winced from pain. If Dick had still been in high school, he could have made a comment about him having homework or something. But Dick had graduated and Bruce was a having a hard time realizing the boy had grown into a man. He was also having a hard time dealing with the idea he couldn’t control the boy by punishing him.

Giving up on trying to reason with him, Dick walked over to the intercom. "Alfred, Bruce is going to need help getting his uniform off," he barked out as he thumbed the switch. Without looking back, he strode over to the Batmobile and got in. He gunned the engine as he left the cave just to annoy Bruce.

Dick started his patrol of Gotham, slipping into the persona of Batman. He always felt more… respected and dangerous than he did when he was Robin. The Batman was after all mysterious and invincible, or at least that was the aura Bruce projected. And that was the reason Dick was out patrolling when he’d rather be fussing over a grumbling Bruce. The idea that Batman would come out night after night, even after a fight that would put down a normal man, played into the myth. Fortunately it was a slow night and other then foiling a few minor robberies he hadn't had anything to do. He was just thinking about heading back to the cave when he saw a telltale streak of green heading his way.

Most superheroes had big egos so kept to their own territories. In this neck of the woods everyone knew Superman had Metropolis, while Batman protected Gotham City and never the twain shall meant until a major disaster was involved. But then there were superheros like the Green Lantern whose playground included the entire world. It had been a few weeks since Green Lantern had come to Gotham. Back when Batman was missing, he was a frequent visitor, checking up on how he was handling things Dick knew.

"Bruce," Green Lantern said as he landed smoothly on the rooftop. "No Robin tonight?"

“Is that a bad thing?” Dick said. He was glad he had a voice-masking unit installed in the suit to make his voice deeper and sound like Bruce.

"No, he deserves some time off after covering for you like he did. He's grown up nicely, Bruce. You really should talk to him," Hal said.

Dick looked pointedly at the Green Lantern’s green tight outfit, slowly moving his eyes up. “How closely have you been watching the boy?”

"Bruce? You know I'm not going to move in on Dick. As soon as I found out you were interested I backed off before I'd ever really let him know I was interested."

“Dick’s not gay,” he blurted out suddenly.

"I'm sorry, Bruce. You doing okay?" Hal asked reaching a hand out toward his shoulder.

Dick wasn’t sure which disturbed him more… the fact that Hal had the hots for him, that he thought Bruce had the hots for him, or the way Hal was touching him right now. The way Hal was touching ‘Bruce’, because Dick was supposed to be Bruce right now. “Where you looking for something specific, Hal?”

"No, just happened to be flying by and saw you were out alone tonight. It's been awhile since we had a chance to talk," Hal said. "If you're in a hurry I can swing by later in the week."

Dick didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded suspiciously like a booty call. “And we would do what? Fight the forces of evil?”

Hal stepped back like he'd been hit. "Dick? Oh, fuck, what are you doing out as Batman tonight? I didn't think he'd left again." He was seriously considering opening up a really big hole to fall in.

“What? Ummm, makes you think it’s Dick?” Dick said. He couldn’t help that his voice squeaked.

"I'm the one who should be embarrassed here," Hal said. "Hell, Bruce is going to kill me for having this conversation with you."

“Why?” Dick challenged. “Because I found out you and Bruce have a thing?”

"We haven't had a 'thing' since shortly after he took you in, Dick. We've just been old friends for years now" Hal said. "I think you should be talking to him though. He can answer your questions, and you should probably let him know you're not interested in men."

Dick looked up at the stars and sighed heavily. “This probably isn’t the best place to talk about this,” he groaned. He was glad the mask hid his blush. “And maybe… maybe you’d be a good person to talk to about this. Maybe you could come back to the mansion?”

"You sure that isn't a talk for you and Bruce to have alone? If you want me there I'll come, this was all caused by my big mouth, but I think this is between you and Bruce" Hal said.

“I… ah, might have said I wasn’t gay… because I didn’t know how to deal with you,” Dick admitted.

"There's no 'me' to deal with. I'm not going to do anything as I've told Bruce, and you now," Hal focused his ring on part of the roof not visible from the street or other buildings and walked over to one of the two chairs now seated across from each other. "If you just want someone to talk to though, that would be fine."

Robin sat down in the chair and sighed. This was strange, sitting on a roof, having a heart to hear with the Green Lantern, but he was also wearing a rubberized crotch protector. Weird was all relative when you were a superhero. “Hal… I’m flattered, really, but I barely know you.”

"Let's just forget about that part for now. It's not a big deal and I never meant to tell you after I found out Bruce was interested in you," Hal said.

“Bruce thinks I’m just a kid,” Dick admitted. “I don’t know where you got the idea that he liked me from.”

"He's liked you for a while. It just started getting serious after you turned eighteen though," Hal chuckled. "Pretty sure he was too uptight to think about you like that before you turned eighteen. After some of what's happened lately he's afraid telling you that he's attracted to you would end up in you leaving."

“I couldn’t leave him!” Dick declared sounding every year his age. “He needs me.”

"And that scares him. Not only does he need you, but he also has no control over you anymore. It's really up to you. If he hasn't told you in the last two years with all my prodding I doubt he will on his own. I really think you two should talk and clear the air after you decide what you want."

“What are you talking about, he has no control over me?” Dick scoffed. “You don’t know how much I worry about him. I think about him all the time. You don’t know how much I had to fight to get him to even stay in tonight.”

"But you're here on your own? Did he agree to that or did you just leave him there?" Hal asked, knowing he'd hit a nerve by the way Dick's mouth twisted.

“It was for his own good,” Dick mumbled. “His ribs are bruised.”

"No argument here. Bruce never did know when to take a break not even now when he's got someone to watch his back. What did you want to talk about other then Bruce's ribs?" Hal asked. He was not going to lead the conversation at all after spilling secrets right and left earlier.

“So Bruce is gay?” Dick blurted out.

"Yes, but that's about as big a secret as the fact he's Batman. He was a little more open about it before, but after he took you in he buried that part of himself pretty far from public view."

Dick picked at the spikes of the costume. “Did you seduce him?”

"We both needed someone. It was never serious and it didn't last long, but I think we actually became better friends afterwards. I don't think that's what we should be talking about, Dick. I thought you wanted to talk about how you were gonna deal with Bruce," Hal questioned trying to get the conversation back on track.

“I *am* trying to figure out how to deal with Bruce,” Dick defended himself. “He’s always so stoic… I thought maybe I could… seduce Bruce.”

"We were just friends. It was never serious for either of us, but with you he doesn't want casual. Don't do this if it's a game to you or if you're just curious," Hal said.

“Bruce is all I have,” Dick scowled at Hal. “He’s my life. I don’t even date.”

"Calm down, I'm not trying to imply anything. I'm just letting you know that he's serious since if he were the one telling you right now he'd make sure you knew that. So, you are interested in him?" Hal was very careful to keep any disappointment out of his voice, not that there was much to hide. He'd mostly gotten over his interest in Dick a while ago.

“I’ve never been interested in anyone else,” Dick admitted. “I want to be like him… but I also want to be with him.”

"Then, if you know what you want, you should be talking to him, or at least making it clear he can talk to you. He's not going to reject you."

“I told you, he thinks I’m kid. I would need something drastic to make him believe I’m serious.”

"You just need to talk to him," Hal said. "I’m beginning to think I could tell you both how the other feels and you'd still avoid talking about it."

“Bruce doesn’t like to talk about feelings,” Dick mumbled. “I don’t know what kind of arrangement he would want.”

"Just talk to him, Dick. I have to go," he shrugged apologetically. "Duty calls. If you tell Bruce you saw me, let him know I said hi." With a quick handshake he was back in the air and headed off into the night sky.

“Green freak,” Dick muttered under his breath in frustration and then he was glad the Green Lantern didn’t have super hearing. He didn’t deserve to be the focus of Dick’s frustration. In fact, he deserved to be thanked for bringing Bruce’s true feelings to light. He’d have to find a way to do that sometime in the future, but now he was sure a pigheaded thirty something temporary invalid should be the focus of said aggression.

He was still fuming as he swung through the night back to the Batmobile. Other then a general idea about confronting Bruce he had no idea what he was going to say if anything.. By the time he was pulling up to the cave he decided if Bruce was waiting for him he'd start talking. If he was not there, he'd think about it. He didn't let himself realize it was not really leaving things to fate. There was no way Bruce wasn't waiting for him, probably with a lecture already prepared.

Bruce waited to pounce until exactly seven seconds after Dick exited the Batmobile. He obviously had escaped from Alfred’s watchful gaze since he was only wearing pyjama bottoms. Bruce’s ribs were still wrapped and he was scowling darkly at Dick. “You’re back.”

"Yeah, it's not like I was planning to steal the car," Dick pulled off the cowl. "I'm fine, the car's fine, and all the little criminals are leaving Gotham alone." Okay, not anything close to what he was planning on saying but he was focusing on keeping his eyes off Bruce.

“You don’t sound fine, you sound upset,” Bruce had always been able to zero in on what was bothering Dick. “What happened?”

"I'm not upset just a little distracted. Do you mind putting some clothes on while I get out of the suit?" Dick was already heading for the uniform room so he missed the look on Bruce's face as he digested that comment.

“I’m fine the way I am,” Bruce said, following after Dick. That was also his way of saying he had every intention of staying exactly the way he was until he figured out what Dick meant by the comment. His own eyes flowed over Dick’s body as the younger man peeled away the armour.

Dick knew Bruce was watching him. You didn't spend years working with the Bat and not know when you were being watched. He could feel himself starting to blush as he pulled on his sweats and started to go from confused to mad. He wasn't some kid who could be ignored then told what to do. He was past Bruce and halfway to the elevator before Bruce realized he was not heading back to the computers. "Goodnight, Bruce. The night's report should be downloaded by now if you want to review it." He kept his voice level as he talked.

“Dick… are you sure everything went smoothly?” Bruce said before Dick could completely escape the Batcave. The truth was he’d been worried about the boy, but couldn’t say it. He’d spent the time monitoring the computer system and had been alarmed when the Green Lantern had made an appearance. “There was a report of the Green Lantern in the city.”

Dick's hand froze on the elevator door. So much for a clean escape he thought as he turned around. "Everything went fine, Bruce. Hal and I had a nice heart-to-heart before he realized it wasn't you behind the mask. Then we had another one, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that he doesn't know what he's talking about." Dick gave a short, bitter laugh. "Cuz the way you treat me sure doesn't mesh with what he thought."

“You spoke with Hal?” Bruce said in that scary low tone of his, or at least it was scary to anyone but Dick. His nervousness also showed when he started to fuss with his bandages.

"That's what I said, and don't blame him for talking. He had no way of knowing I was playing the Bat again. He never said anything when he knew I was playing the Bat while you were gone. He was just checking up on me then," Dick looked down. "So are we done here now that I've answered your questions?"

Bruce stood there frozen for a moment. He had never been good at expressing what he felt and he a scary feeling that it was *very* important that he say the right thing now.. He thought it couldn’t be that hard to say something profound and meaningful to man who watched his back and shared his dark life. He came up with, “Ahhh, thank you,” and muttered it under his breath.

"Damn you, Bruce, 'thank you?' that's all you can come up with?" Dick was stalking toward Bruce now. "Leave for weeks without telling anyone. Come back and ignore me. Tell Hal you're interested in me just to scare him off. Fuck with my head when he passes that story off as the truth." Each comment was punctuated with poke to the chest almost hard enough to hurt. "And 'thank you' is all you can come up with? You wanna tell me what you're thanking me for?"

“Ahhh, everything?” Bruce croaked. Again, another brilliant Bruce Wayne moment.

Dick just shook his head. "Whatever, I'll be busy until Batman and Robin head out tomorrow.." He got on the elevator and pressed the button for his room's floor, very pointedly not looking back.

Dick was rolling around his bed when he heard his door creak open. When he first got here, Bruce made it a habit of watching him sleep. Some people would have found it creepy to have someone watching them in the dark, but not Dick. “Dick?” he said softly. “I really did mean thank you… for everything. Thank you for going out tonight and… everything else.”

"I know, I just..." Dick trailed off. "I guess I was expecting things to be different after I talked to Hal. It's okay though, you were just trying to protect me I'm sure and knew he'd leave me alone if you told him that."

Bruce was drawn to the bed like a magnet. Dick had sat up in the bed and he felt Bruce’s finger’s push away the hair from his forehead, even though he couldn’t see him. “I used to watch you sleep…” Bruce whispered hoarsely. “I still do sometimes.”

"Bruce?" Dick's voice was confused as he pulled back. "What's going on?"

“I’m sorry,” Bruce moved away.. “This is why I didn’t… I’m sorry, Dick.”

"Stop," Dick reached out to keep Bruce from leaving, "right now I don't care what you say, but tell me what's going on. I don't want to be guessing what you're thinking about this because it's not easy to figure you out."

“You’re the closest anyone ever came to figuring me out,” Bruce said in his moody voice. “You haunt me, Dick.”

"Just tell me, did you mean what you told Hal?" Maybe a direct question would get an actual answer out of Bruce.

“He wanted permission to try and go after you…” Bruce said. “I couldn’t let him do that.”

Dick started counting to ten in his head when Bruce sidestepped the question he wanted answered. He made it all the way to six before deciding talking and calm was apparently not working. Before he really thought about what he was doing, he'd reached one hand around Bruce's neck and pulled his head down and into a kiss.

Bruce made a wounded sound and before Dick knew what hit him, he was flat on the bed with more than two hundred pounds of determined Bruce Wayne on him. Apparently, there was no teasing Bruce. When his control snapped or was pushed, it shattered.

Kissing now, questions later Dick decided. He wrapped his legs around Bruce's and carded his hand through his hair as his lips parted under Bruce's tongue.

Bruce had taken over control of the kiss and was pressing Dick into the bed. It was nothing for him to hold Dick’s arms over his head and start to grind their groins together. “Hal didn’t touch you, did he?” Bruce demanded in a deep growl.

"No," Dick answered, "so does this mean...." He was cut off as Bruce started kissing him again.

When he pulled away, Dick was gasped for breath and had a dazed look on his face. “It means you’re mine!” Bruce growled again. So what if he liked to growl a lot?

"I told Hal that I had to do something drastic to make you realize I was not a kid anymore," he grinned at Bruce. "Gotta admit though, hadn't thought of pulling you into bed with me until a few minutes ago."

“You wanted to know what this means,” Bruce continued. “This isn’t kid’s stuff, Dick. When I said you haunt me… you do. I think about you all the time… I worry about you… I *obsess* about you…”

"And you don't think I feel the same way?" Dick asked. "No matter what has happened I've been here waiting for you even when I didn't know if you were coming back."

“There won’t be anyone else,” Bruce said abruptly, ignoring Dick’s attempt to direct the conversation. If nothing else, he was possessive. “There hasn’t been anyone for me for a long time.”

"Okay," Dick said and pulled him back down.

One of Bruce’s hands started to slip into Dick’s boxers, grasping his hip tightly. “Has there been anyone else before me?”

"Not... not really," Dick said, his breath catching as Bruce's hand kept moving. "Not a virgin, but never got much further then this with a guy."

Bruce’s hand was already starting to push Dick’s boxers down. “That’s good,” Bruce grunted.

Hesitantly, Dick mirrored Bruce's actions while his other hand started stroking down his back.. "Shit," he said suddenly when his hand reached the bandages, "Bruce, you really shouldn't be doing this. You're supposed to be taking it easy with those ribs for a few days."

“I’ll live,” Bruce hissed. He shifted his body just enough to latch onto Dick’s cock with his hand.

"Lube. Drawer.. Now," Dick grunted as he tried to control his reaction to Bruce's hand. He didn't want to come before they'd actually done anything.

“I could hurt you,” Bruce said, even though it wasn’t very convincing. He hadn’t even considered that he would bottom and with some lovers that would be a problem.

"Not a kid here, already established that. Plus, this way you can show me what you like."

“I like *you*,” Bruce insisted, even as he reached out to grab the lube. It was probably as close as Bruce could get to say he loved Dick, even though he did.

“I like you,” Bruce insisted, even as he reached out to grab the lube. It was probably as close as Bruce could get to say he loved Dick, even though he did.

"Mutual love already established too, Bruce. If you don't hurry up you're going to miss round one and have to wait for round two." Dick gave Bruce's cock a firm, slow stroke to punctuate his comment.

“Brat,” Bruce hissed. “Get on your stomach.”

"Brat?" Dick stopped moving.

“Yeah, you always challenged me,” Bruce said. “Liked that.”

"Fine, we'll discuss your choice in nicknames later. Right now you have about one minute to distract me before I tell you to get on your back," Dick said as he twisted onto his stomach while making sure to brush against Bruce's erection as much as possible..

“I like brat,” Bruce said, pulling off Dick’s boxers and lightly smacking his ass.

"Well I don't, and I'm not giving in just because," Dick moaned, "just because you're doing that."

“What? Doing this?” Bruce whispered and ran a fingertip down Dick’s crevice.

"Ummhmm," Dick groaned trying to push back against the finger.

Bruce pulled away only to put lube on his fingers and returned to torment Dick. “Tell me you like it,” he whispered the demand. “Tell me you want more.”

"Bruce, long day here. I want you and I want you to stop teasing me."

“Demanding,” Bruce commented, even as he slipped a finger inside.

Of course, Bruce would decide to be come talkative now. Well talkative for him anyway. Maybe if he just stayed quiet Bruce would get the hint.

As Bruce loosened him quickly, he started to kiss and suck on Dick’s shoulder blade. Dick wasn’t sure if he heard him whisper it or not, but he swore Bruce whispered, “Beautiful.”

Bruce had moved so slowly preparing him and sliding in that Dick wasn't quite ready for the abrupt switch. Bruce had felt so good slowly sinking into him and giving him time to adjust, but as soon as he had relaxed Bruce started pounding into him. It was still good but unexpected.

Bruce wasn’t a vocal lover, but he was intense. Dick could feel Bruce’s breath fall on his neck, even as Bruce kept touching him. He kept touching Dick’s torso and face, anywhere he could touch his new lover.

"Please," Dick whispered pulling one of Bruce's hands to his cock. He wanted Bruce's hand on him not a pillow.

Bruce stopped pounding into Dick and tightened his hand around Dick’s cock.. Even if he couldn’t say, he needed to hear it. “Tell me,” in a dark whisper. No one had said it and meant it since his parents died.

"Love you, Bruce. I've loved you for a long time," Dick said.

Bruce started to pump again, more deeply. He wanted to say it, but as close as he could come was, “Me, too.”

“Bruce...” Dick wailed as came thrashing beneath his lover.

Dick pulled Bruce into his own ecstasy and he wrapped his arm around Dick’s waist, pulling his back hard as he pumped into him deeply. He could feel Bruce start to tense above him and pushed back harder, meeting each thrust roughly.

Bruce collapsed on top of Dick, panting heavily. “Forever…” he whispered barely above a breath.

When Bruce tried to get off the bed Dick shook his head and mumbled, "Nuh uh." He shoved the soiled pillow out from under himself to the floor and grabbed a shirt for him and Bruce to clean up with. As soon and they were relatively clean he locked his legs around Bruce's. "Night."

“I won’t sleep,” Bruce protested.

Dick didn't answer. He just looked at Bruce for a second and sighed before releasing him and rolling over so his back was to Bruce and he was facing the wall. He reached back blindly and grabbed a pillow to curl around.

Bruce reached out his hand and placed it gently on Dick’s hip. “I don’t know what I did wrong… I really don’t sleep at night very well. That’s why I watch you at night…”

Dick just shook his head. There was no way he was going to let Bruce see or hear him crying. He didn't think it was too unreasonable for Bruce to stay with him for a little while at least this once, after his first time. Now though, he just wanted to fall asleep and maybe get some perspective on this whole crazy, fucking day.

“Maybe… maybe I could just hold you and watch you sleep?” Bruce tried again, his hand rubbing circles on Dick’s hip.

Still not trusting himself to speak, Dick scooted back on the bed until he felt Bruce's chest against his back. He could feel at least some of his tension draining away as Bruce pulled him closer. Next time, he told himself, next time he wouldn't let Bruce leaving bother him.

Bruce nuzzled the back of Dick’s neck and his arm locked Dick into place. “Never shared a bed with anyone before,” Bruce whispered into his ear. “Never trusted them. Never… you know, what you said before.”


	2. Running Scared

Dick had gone from disappointment to hurt throughout the day, but now, after they returned from a brief patrol, he was livid. He'd woken up alone and when he'd gone downstairs Bruce had left for an all day trip to the corporate offices of Wayne Industries. That was when he'd started to get upset. Bruce never spent a full day in the office on Thursdays, only Mondays, so he had to be avoiding him. Then he'd snuck home and called Dick down to the cave after he was already suited up. Dick could handle the distance between Batman and Robin, but this was too much.

He realized he was staring at Bruce with a shocked look and an open mouth, and quickly schooled his face into a look of disinterest before stalking off. Once in the elevator he started to rant. "Goddamn asshole. Runs off as soon as I fall asleep, avoids me all day, and then tells me I should go to bed early." His voice deepened as he mimicked Bruce, "You look tired, Dick. You should go get a good night's sleep." His voice shifted back to normal as he continued to rant, walking down the hallway. "No shit I didn't get a good night's sleep, and you should know that, asshole."

“Master Richard? Is there something I should know about?” Alfred asked as he rounded the corner. "Not a thing, Al. From what I can tell there isn't anything to talk about," he felt bad brushing past Alfred like that, but he was not going start talking to him and say too much or lose his lead over Bruce.

“You don’t look very rested, young man,” Alfred scolded. “Master Bruce hasn’t been taking care of you properly.”

"I'm fine, Al," Dick said heading into his room. "You should get some rest yourself," he added as his stepped into his room. One look at his bed and he knew he wasn't going to spend the night there if he could help it. He opened his window and scaled down the wall. It had been a few years since he'd snuck out but it wasn't something you forgot. He headed for the garage and picked out a bike to take for a ride.

Alfred decided it was best if he let Dick blow off steam and “sneak” out. He was heading down to the Batcave to have a little “discussion” with Bruce. He road down the elevator a placed the disappointed scowl on his face that always stricken fear into man when he was younger. “Master Bruce,” he called out. Oh yes, even tone was just right. "What's wrong?" Bruce asked. He knew he was in trouble for something and was not really in the mood for any games with Alfred tonight. It was bad enough that Dick seemed upset that he'd suggested he get a good night's sleep.

“I didn’t think I would have to have this conversation with you just yet about inappropriate conduct concerning your ward,” Alfred said coolly.

"What are you talking about, Alfred? You're the one who told me to talk to him about how I felt when the time was right." Bruce said massaging his temples with one hand.

“I didn’t tell you to break the boy’s heart.”

"He's fine, just a little tired. I sent him to bed, Alfred. Don't worry about it."

“Sent him to bed alone I might add. I thought he was the one you’d settle down with. But instead of pampering him, he’s the one sneaking out in the middle of the night.”

"He left?" Bruce asked. "I told him to go to bed, and what do you mean pamper him, Alfred? If Batman starts pampering Robin how long do you think he'll last out there?"

“Robin is a survivor, he’ll be fine,” Alfred answered. “I’m more worried that Bruce should pamper Dick. He needs to be loved.”

"We can talk about this later. I'm going to go after him," Bruce said putting his cowl back on. "Which bike did he take?"

"I'm not sure as I came down to see you immediately, but I do not doubt he took his favourite one. Do you even know that he loves the Yamaha YZF600?"

 

Meanwhile, Dick had driven several miles out of town and was sitting on his bike just off the road while tossing his phone from hand to hand. Finally he gave in and dialed the number Hal had given him when he first started covering for Batman. When he got the computer he typed in the non-emergency notification code and snapped the phone shut and waited. If Hal wasn’t busy, he'd probably show up within ten minutes.

Right on cue, Dick noticed a familiar green glow come over the horizon and Hal set down beside him. “I came as soon as I could.”

"You weren't busy were you?" Dick asked. "I thought I punched in the non-emergency code."

“Nothing life threatening. I was just doing laundry,” Hal laughed. “Even superheroes need clean underwear.”

"I guess that's one good thing about having a butler," Dick said with a small grin. "Although, if you needed a sidekick I could probably learn to do laundry."

“I thought you had a full time, long term position as number one obsession of Batman?”

"So did I, but he got what he wanted last night then treated me like I was fourteen year old again for the few moments he wasn't ignoring me today. I think he's decided it's a mistake and doesn't even want me around anymore."

“Dick… I know Bruce ranks up there as a genius, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of the stupidest men I know.”

"Hal, he couldn't get out of there fast enough when we were done. He only stayed until I fell asleep because I made him feel guilty." He scuffed his boot in the dirt. "I didn't want this. I thought, after what you told me, he wanted to be with me. Either he didn't, or he realized he didn't enjoy being with me like that. Now I'm not sure if I can stay there anymore."

“I didn’t know you were a coward, Dick.”

"A coward? What the hell are you talking about? I told him how I felt and he practically ignored me. Then he shows up in my room, barely talks to me while we have sex, and then sneaks out to hide at the office all day. What do you want me to do?"

Hal sighed.. “And this surprised you? This is *Bruce* we’re talking about. This is the same man who didn’t talk to me for a month after we got together for the first time. He’s a pig-headed, stubborn fool and I suspect that’s one of the reasons you love him. You strike me of the kind of man who likes a challenge.”

"You think he was really just being an idiot?" Dick asked ignoring the part about Hal and Bruce together. "That would be a lot easier to handle then him just not being interested now."

Hal reached out and patted Dick on the shoulder. “Bruce has a lot… a *huge* amount of issues. I think the smartest thing he ever did was fall in love with you.”

"God, maybe I am some kid. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since we did it and I've run away and called you out here to complain. Maybe I should give him some time. If he really doesn't want me around he'll make it clear pretty quick."

“Dick, you’re young, but you’re not dumb… just inexperienced. This is the first time you’ve been really in love, isn’t it?”

"Other then some high school crushes? Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

“Because the more real it is, the more it hurts and the harder work it is.”

"Look, I'm used to putting up with him, and I can put up with his shit if that's what it takes. I just... I just have to know he wants me to."

Hal pulled Dick into a loose hug and whispered into his ear, “He’d have to be an absolute moron not to love you.”

Bruce had tracked the motorcycle pretty easily and showed up just in time to see the hug. Dick didn't notice him, but Hal did. He motioned for Bruce to stay out of sight while his hands were behind Dick's back. "You'd better go home, Dick. Bruce is going to worry if you stay away too long."

“He’ll probably just try to ground me like some teenager,” Dick grumbled. Technically, he was still a teenager, but he was *almost* twenty years old.

"I'm sure he knows you're old enough to decide when to go for a ride, Dick, but you should let him know when you take off in the middle of the night. Whenever you need to talk though you're can always call me."

“Maybe I can crash on a glowing green couch of yours if we get in a fight?” Dick laughed.

Hal laughed at that. "I think there's plenty of places in the manor to hideout of you need to, but don't let Bruce drive you away. You're going to have to push him."

“Maybe I’ll just start wearing tight jeans… and leather… That should push him.”

"It might.. Now go home before he or Alfred get too worried. You may be able to get past Bruce, but I doubt you can get out of there without Alfred knowing."

The threat of Alfred was enough to send Dick home after a quick thank you to Hal. Bruce might have been his guardian, but Alfred was much more of a father figure than Bruce had ever been.

As soon as the taillight on Dick's bike was out of sight he called out, "Get over here, Bruce. We need to talk."

“You touched him,” was the first accusation out of Bruce’s mouth instead of a greeting.

"You're lucky that's all I did, Bruce. After the way you treated him he probably would have been open to suggestions. Damn it, I know you've got your own demons to battle, but aside from beating the shit out of him I don't know if you could have hurt him worse.."

“First Alfred and then you,” Bruce growled. “I don’t know why he’s acting like I betrayed him.”

"Bruce, he's nineteen and really in love for the first time. You spent one night with him and disappeared before he woke up. He thought you either just wanted to try it once, or that he was so bad you decided not to continue any sort of relationship," Hal sighed. "Did you even think before you ran off?"

“I didn’t run off,” Bruce denied.. “I stayed with while he slept. That’s more than I’ve ever done before.”

"Bruce, staying with him when he's asleep and being gone when he wakes up is not good enough. He loves you and he might even be willing to put up with your shit. You have to show him you want him around though. If he doesn't think you care he's not going to wait for you to get your head out of your ass."

“And what? You’d be there to step into my shoes?” Bruce growled.

"Won't matter who he turns too, Bruce. You drive him off and he'll be gone. Yelling at me won't stop him from leaving. You need to talk to him, or show him you want him around.."

“Of course, I want him around,” Bruce grumbled. “I almost told him I… well, he knows it.”

"No, he doesn't. God, Bruce, when he found out I thought maybe it was for the best, but now I wonder. You do what you want, you always have, but if you drive him away by convincing him you don't care... if he comes to me I won't send him back again."

Bruce moved towards the Green Lantern menacingly. “He’s my world, Hal. I just don’t know how… never mind. You just stay away from him.”

"Go home, Bruce. Your fight isn't with me and you know it," Hal took off before Bruce could say anything else. He knew from long experience that arguments like these could go on for hours with him without talking about anything important.

Bruce grumbled the entire way back to his own bike. He had to work the relationship stuff out with Dick. He couldn’t loose him. The only problem was he had the feeling that he wasn’t going about it the right way. He would have bought a girl flowers, but he could just image the ass kicking he’d get if he walked in with roses for Dick. So he settled for stopping off at Dick’s favourite pizza place on the way home and got his new lover’s favourite food. He thought maybe he could surprise him with two of Dick’s favourite things… food and sex. And this time… he’d spend the night.

 

While Bruce was just getting back on his bike, Dick was climbing back up to his bedroom. He still wasn't sure if Hal knew what he was talking about but he had decided to give Bruce another chance in the morning.

Dick was pretending to sleep when Bruce skulked into his room. He continued to “sleep” even when felt Bruce sit down on his bed. He felt Bruce gently touch his face and ghost a kiss over his lips.

He knew Dick was awake, but didn't open his eyes or say anything. He felt Dick tugging him gently into bed and kicked off his boots as he laid down. He wrapped Dick in his arms and said the first thing that he came to mind after he kissed him again. He hoped it was romantic… “I got you a pizza…” Oops, guess not.

Dick was trying very hard not to snicker. The incongruity of it all made him want to bust out laughing, but he knew if he did that Bruce wouldn't understand. He settled for a mumbled, "Thanks," and settled himself more securely in Bruce's arms. He was not getting out of bed right now to get pizza.

“I figured… that if we get hungry, we don’t have to leave the bed,” Bruce explained earnestly. “And I know you like pizza… you’re always eating it. And I was big asshole, so…”

"Thanks, Bruce," Dick said giving him a quick kiss. "Not really hungry though. Maybe we can have it for breakfast." He was hoping Bruce would just go to sleep with him. Even if he was trying, Dick was not ready to do anything and wake up alone again.

“I think you should sleep now,” Bruce said. “I will try to sleep. If I can’t, I’ll just hold you.”

"Would it be easier if we started sleeping in your room? You're going to have to be able to fall asleep if we're going to be sleeping together," Dick said wondering what Bruce's reaction would be.

“My bed is bigger,” Bruce agreed quietly.

"Okay, let's go," Dick said worming his way out of Bruce's grasp. He thought for a second and decided he'd come back for clothes in the morning. "Come on." he grabbed Bruce's hand and pulled him out of bed.

“Dick, I… I want to spoil you,” Bruce said abruptly.

"You don't have to spoil me, Bruce. Just don't treat me like a kid or ignore me, and trust me enough to sleep when I do."

“Sometimes I don’t sleep because of the nightmares,” Bruce admitted, even as Dick pulled him towards the master bedroom. “And maybe I want to spoil you for real. Not big stuff. I’m not good at saying things… and maybe, I can show you with small things? Like the pizza?”

"Pizza's fine, Bruce. You don't have to say you love me as long as you show me," Dick said letting a smile slip out.

Bruce grimaced superficially and smacked Dick’s ass lightly. “I do. Now let’s get to sleep.”

 

Dick had woken up sometime just before sunrise with a sleeping Bruce wrapped around him. They'd both stripped down before getting in bed and feeling Bruce with him was about perfect. He must have dozed back off because the next time he opened his eyes he was still in Bruce's arms but Alfred was saying good morning and setting down a breakfast tray and a paper on the table next to the bed.

“Ahhh… morning, Al,” Dick pulled the sheet up and grinned up at the butler over the edge of it.

"Good morning, Master Richard. I brought breakfast for you both. Should I move your things in here while you are both out today?"

“Go ahead and do that, please Alfred,” Bruce said, without even cracking open an eye.

"Thanks, Al," Dick said with a huge grin. "You're not going to be coming back in here anytime soon are you?" Bruce needed to be rewarded, but he couldn't do that with Al popping in and out of the room.

“I’ll summon you for a late lunch via the intercom,” Alfred said. “Good to see you’ve come to your senses, Master Bruce.”

As soon as the door closed Dick was all over Bruce. "Love you, Bruce," he said in between kisses. "Love you."

“What you said…” Bruce whispered back.


	3. Discovered

Alfred paused outside Bruce's door. Toward the end of the previous week Bruce had taken him aside and politely asked him not to deliver breakfast for a while. Dick was still a little embarrassed to have Alfred seeing him in bed with anyone. This was Monday though, and Bruce had to see the paper before he went to the office. Dick should know, too.

He knocked loudly and gave them a minute, just in case they were busy. The suite was soundproof and there was no way to tell what they were up to. "Good morning, Master Bruce, Master Richard," he said walking in with a tray of food and the newspaper. "I thought you might want to see the newspaper before you went out."

Dick attacked the food with the enthusiasm of a nineteen-year-old boy, while Bruce unrolled the paper. Plastered across the front page the headline "Wayne Makes Boy Toy Out of ex-Ward" and underneath was a picture from last night. Bruce had bought Dick a new motorcycle and they’d taken it out with Dick riding behind Bruce. They had stopped on a hill to watch the stars at Dick’s urging and apparently some paparazzi had snapped a picture of Dick sitting on the bike, with Bruce between his legs kissing his lover senseless.

"Bruce, what's wrong?" Dick asked looking up from the plate of food. Bruce had gone strangely quite reading and had not stolen any food off his plate, which had become a habit of his since they had become an item. "Bruce?"

Bruce folded the paper in his lap and covered it with his hand. “How do you feel about going public, Dick?”

"Bruce? I thought you wanted to wait before announcing anything. It's just going to be a lot of gossip columnists following us around, well more then normal, making our lives miserable when we leave the mansion."

“Someone took a picture of us last night,” Bruce said. “That’s not our decision to make anymore.”

Dick took the paper silently. "It's a good picture at least. Are you okay with this, Bruce?" He didn't look up from the paper. Things had been good with Bruce, but he wasn't sure this was something Bruce was ready for.

“I don’t like what they called you,” Bruce said darkly.

"It's nothing I didn't expect. Hell, it's nothing I haven't been hearing for years, Bruce. There were always people who thought that was the only reason you let me stay here, but now at least it's true when they say it," Dick risked a look up at Bruce.

“Alfred, please leave the room,” Bruce growled, his eyes narrowing.

"It's okay, really, I can handle it," Dick said leaning into Bruce. "It's not going to cause you too many problems is it?"

Bruce waited until he heard the door close behind Alfred before he clasped the back of Dick’s neck. He held him firmly in place and looked directly into his eyes, “You are not my boy toy, do you understand me?”

"I know that. I never thought I was. It's fine, I promise it doesn't matter," Dick said.

Bruce’s grip lightened and his hand move from Dick’s neck to caressing his cheek. “You’re my equal and probably my better.”

Dick laughed, "You're the respected business leader. You're Batman. Maybe I'll be your equal someday, but that's not important as long as you're not gonna get rid of me now that people know."

“I had just the opposite in mind,” Bruce said with a small smile. When Bruce smiled, it was dangerous. “I think it’s time I took you out on the town.”

"You sure?" Dick asked hugging him. Having Bruce willing to put them in public like that meant he was really ok with it, with him.

“I was thinking something very… public,” Bruce said, hugging Dick back. “This is almost worth it to see you out of those rags and into a nice suit.”

"You know, Alfred did wake us up early..." Dick trailed off. "If you don't distract me I'm just going to ask all sorts of annoying questions about where we're going tonight, and what I have to wear."

“You’re so high maintenance…” Bruce quipped with a staged heavy sigh.

"Me?" Dick asked trying to sound upset. "You think I'm too much work?"

“Oh yes, you brat,” Bruce said, making sure to use his favourite nick name for Dick, even though Dick hated it. His hand started to ghost over Dick’s torso, moving down to his boxers. “Sex, sex, sex… that’s all you ever want.”

Dick flipped himself over and on top of Bruce. "So you don't want to have sex?" he asked rubbing his boxer clad erection against Bruce's.

“Didn’t say that,” Bruce groaned and his hand palmed Dick’s ass cheeks.

Dick started wiggling down Bruce so he could get his boxers off before tossing his own off. As soon as his were out of the way he leaned down and deep throated Bruce until he got a moan out of him. Once he knew Bruce was starting to let go he slid up until Bruce's erection was pressed against his ass and said, "Lube."

Bruce reached out and grabbed the lube from the bedside table. He handed it to Dick, grunting one word, “Hurry.”

Dick squeezed some lube on Bruce's fingers then started coating his cock while he was being stretched. He grinned down still amazed at how easy it was to get Bruce interested in sex almost anytime of the day.

After going years without sex regularly, if at all, having a nineteen year old for a lover was pushing all of Bruce’s buttons. Dick was the most beautiful thing in the world to him, even though had hard time expressing how he felt. Like right now, he was looking up at his lover and was struck by Dick’s passion. “You look… so good,” he muttered, trying to vocalize what he felt. He could go days before Dick came along with out speaking more than few gruff words, but for Dick, he was willing to try.

“You too, Bruce. You've always looked good,” Dick hissed as he quickly lowered himself onto Bruce. This had gotten a lot easier over last few days but there was still a little sting when he went fast. "Course, this flushed look is even better," he said rocking up and down.

“You’ll be the death of me,” Bruce groaned, his hands on Dick’s hips tightening and helping to guide his lover.

Dick just smiled at that and bent down for a kiss. It took a little more work to kiss in this position but feeling Bruce moaning into the kiss was worth it.

This was the first time that Dick had been in this position or had this much control in their lovemaking. The sexual feelings were overwhelming, but it was the mental image of taking Bruce the way he’d been taken before, was what finally pushed Dick into orgasm.

"Shower?" Bruce asked after they had both caught their breath and he had slipped out of Dick. "I do have to go to the office today unfortunately."

Dick gasped mockingly, “You mean the famous playboy, Bruce Wayne actually works?”

Bruce ruffled Dick's hair and sat up. "Yes, work, and while I'm working you need to go shopping to get yourself a new formal outfit. It will have to be classy for..." Bruce trailed off knowing Dick was going to go crazy wondering what he had planned.

“For what?” Dick begged, perking up at the teasing mystery. “C’mon Bruce, do I really have to wear a tie? I hate ties.”

"You don't have to wear a tie, but then I'd have to go out by myself," Bruce said as he dragged Dick toward the shower. "It will be a lot more fun if you wear a tie and come with me."

“Can it be a fish tie?” Dick deadpanned.

"I'm having Alfred dress you," Bruce said with a sigh. "That's the only way I can think to get you to dress respectably." He pulled Dick into the shower and a kiss to stop any more complaints.

 

Dick knew he wanted to dress better than he ever had for tonight. It was going to be their first official date after all. That meant he couldn’t go to the mall where he usually shopped and would have to go to one of those fancy stores they had to buzz you into. He let Alfred know he was going out then picked out a bike to ride into town. He thought about taking a car to carry his new clothes in, but then realized he could just have whatever he bought delivered.

It took a few moments for whoever was behind the tinted windows to buzz him into the exclusive shop, but they did and he walked in with his helmet under his arm. He felt out of place in the store already and hoped he just get it over with as quickly as possible.

Dick was distracted from looking around when he heard a couple in the corner muttering about how Wayne's boy toy must have talked him in to a shopping spree.

“Does anyone work here?” Dick called out. He wouldn’t let this get to him. He couldn’t.

A haughty looking older man came up to him. "Please lower your voice, sir. What were you looking for today?"

“I need a formal outfit,” Dick said. He wished he’d worn something dressier, but the idea of wearing dress slacks to ride a motorcycle was just plain stupid. So what if he was wearing worn jeans and a leather jacket? He still deserved service, just like anyone else.

"I assume this will be on Mr. Wayne's account?" the salesman asked managing to be perfectly polite but insulting at the same time.

“Ah, yeah,” Dick admitted, looking away. “I need something fancy.”

An hour later he was in a formal suit and had to admit he looked damn good as checked it out in the mirror in the front room. His thoughts were interrupted by the comments from the rest of the people in the store. The same girl from before was telling her boyfriend that she hoped Wayne didn't plan on flaunting him in public.

“Yeah, I’ll take this,” Dick muttered to the salesclerk. “Can you have it delivered?”

"Of course, just let me call Mr. Wayne and authorize this charge," the salesclerk said loud enough for the whole store to hear.

“I can put it on my credit card,” Dick said, just wanting to shut her up. “Unless you don’t want our business?”

The salesman who had helped him pick out the tux quickly pushed the salesclerk out of the way. "No need for that. We don't need to call anyone Mr. Grayson. If you could just sign the invoice we'll have everything re-pressed and sent out."

“That’s good to hear,” Dick said. “Cause I’m not sure we’ll ever be coming back here again.” He made sure to add the ‘we’ part. If he was going to be labelled Bruce’s boy toy, he might as well have a temper tantrum every once and a while.

He was still fuming as he left the shop. He was tempted to ride over to Wayne Industries to see Bruce, but didn't want to bother him at work. Instead he drove around aimlessly until he got hungry enough to head back to the mansion.

Since he’d gotten into his mid to late teens, he’d always had to put up with rumours about his place in Bruce’s life. People wondered why a single, mid-aged man would keep a teenaged boy around.

He hadn't lied when he'd told Bruce he was used to it, but now it bothered him a lot more to hear the same comments. It was like they were all making him nothing more then a convenient sex toy for Bruce, and he knew that wasn't true. Well, he was pretty sure it wasn't true.

The moment he walked into the house, Alfred knew something was wrong. Sometimes he thought Alfred was a mother trapped in a butler’s body. “May I ask what happened, Master Dick?”

"Nothing, just people being idiots. Did the clothes get delivered?"

“They are hanging up in your bedroom. May I suggest another store next time? I never liked service in that store.”

Dick grinned. "You'd think after all this time Bruce and I would know to just tell you everything that goes on since you already anyway. Yeah, they were jerks, but I'm going to have to put up with it. It's just going to get worse now that everyone knows it's true."

“You’d be surprised what true love and time can over come,” Alfred commented. “I doubt they will call you his boy toy when you’re my age.”

"Yeah, if we're still together then," Dick mumbled. "So, can you tell me where Bruce is taking me tonight, Al?" he asked raising his voice back to normal.

“He’s taking you out, young man,” Alfred scolded. “You’re worse that Master Bruce was at your age.”

"I know he's taking me out," Dick said digging into the sandwiches Alfred had made. "I wanna know where we're going though."

“Of course you do,” Alfred said, calmly placing more sandwiches onto the plate. “Just like you wanted to know what he got you for Christmas and your birthday.”

"Okay, okay, I'll go burn my curiosity off in the gym," Dick said finishing his sandwich.

 

“Mr. Wayne before you leave we have to discuss this public relations nightmare,” Matt Thomas said, throwing down the paper on Bruce’s desk. He’d been one of Bruce’s closest advisors for years, handling much of the day-to-day running of Wayne Industries..

“There's nothing to discuss, Matt. I already directed the company spokesman to refuse to comment on my personal life,” Bruce said. "Once people get used to the idea it will not be news anymore."

“People will not get used to this, Bruce,” Matt sighed. “You’ve already lost employees over this.”

"If they are that narrow-minded then I doubt it's any loss, and, maybe, it's better they go now. After tonight there is not going to be any question about if Dick and I are together. You can work up a plan to minimize the business impact and let me look it over tomorrow."

“Bruce, what do you have planned for tonight? You’re not going to do anything stupid are you? Think about the business.”

"I'm taking Dick out on a date, and I don't particularly care what it does to the business," Bruce growled. "The details of our relationship is not open for discussion nor will it be influenced by business decisions."

“It’s time for a wake up call. You have no idea how far your stock dropped last night. Why couldn’t you keep the line like you have all these years?”

"It wasn't a line, Matt. Up until a few days ago it was the truth, but things have changed.. You and everyone else are just going to have to accept it because I'm not going to lie about it. The business side of things should smooth out in a few weeks," Bruce said.

“Bruce, don’t lie to me if I’m going to clean up to this mess. Everyone knows what’s been going on. I hope he was at least sixteen I hope when this started? We’ve all seen the way he looks at you… the way you touch him.”

"Damn it, Matt, last week was the first time anything happened like this," Bruce said. "If I was trying to hide this would I be admitting it now that there is something going on? Plus, if it had been going on longer something would have gotten out before now."

“Can you at least keep the boy on a short leash?”

"Don't make the mistake of saying something like that again," Bruce said very calmly while his hands clenched on the edges of his desk.

Matt wasn’t a stupid man and knew when to back down if he wanted to keep his job. Bruce had always been over protective of the boy, obviously that hadn’t changed now that he was fucking him. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Wayne? I have work to get back to.”

"No, just keep me informed, and make sure there is no statement about this other then 'no comment' without my express approval." Bruce was surprised to have to have this argument Matt of all people.

Matt suddenly stopped, not wanting to leave on a bad note with his friend. “Bruce? Just promise me you’ll be careful, for both your and the kid’s sake.”

 

Bruce got home almost an hour earlier then normal. After the argument with Matt he had pulled up the files and been shocked to find out just how many people had resigned or quit already. It wasn't enough to cause any real problems, but it was enough to shock him. "Alfred, where's Dick?" he asked walking into the mansion.

“In the workout room, Master Bruce,” Alfred answered without looking away from the flower arrangement he was fussing over. “Oh, you know that tailor shop on 6th street you’re fond of?”

"What about it?" Bruce asked wondering if Dick had gotten his clothes there and they had messed something up.

“I suggest you frequent another establishment from now on,” Alfred said and deadheaded a rose quickly.

"They gave him a hard time about us didn't they?" Bruce asked realizing what had happened. "And Dick went to the gym to burn off some steam. Maybe I'll join him. We have some time before we need to leave."

“I’ll be in the kitchen, sir,” Alfred said. In other words, the kitchen was very far away from gym. “Your clothing is laid out for you.”

Bruce headed to the gym, still in his suit. He knew he could change there and if Dick was upset enough to need the gym he didn't want to wait any longer to see him. When he came into the room, Dick was working out in only sweatpants attacking a heavy bag. Sweat was pouring down his chest and Bruce was struck again just how much his lover had grown up. Dick was chiselled and had a body most men would die for.

Dick noticed Bruce and turned toward him. "Oh shit, I thought I told Alfred to let me know when it was time for me to clean up. He started quickly unwrapping the tape from his hands. "I'm sorry, Bruce, I didn't want to ruin whatever you had planned."

“Leave it,” Bruce growled, already stalking towards Dick.

"I can hurry and get..." Dick stopped talking when Bruce started kissing him. He let himself be pushed back against the wall without breaking the kiss. Once he felt his back up against the mirror he grabbed Bruce to pull him closer, the partially unravelled tape on his hands trailing down Bruce's back.

Bruce had moved down to Dick’s neck and was licking the sweat off. His hands moved to Dick’s ass and started to push his sweat pants off. “I love you,” he said barely above a whisper and against the salty skin.

"Love you too," Dick whispered back between moans. "Missed you today." He wiggled the rest of the way out of his sweats and started pushing Bruce's jacket off.

“You’re mine and I won’t let anyone take you away from me,” Bruce growled. He ripped his shirt off, not caring as the buttons popped.

"You mean it, Bruce?" Dick asked. "Cuz people don't like this very much. I was worried you might want to stop or keep it a secret."

“I already have too many secrets,” Bruce huffed, giving Dick another deep kiss before gracefully sinking to his knees. He had his lover’s cock in his mouth before the younger man could even comprehend what was happening.

"Bruuuccce," Dick screamed in pleasure when he felt his cock enveloped with no warning. He put his hands over Bruce's which were gripping his thighs, trying to hold back.

Bruce didn’t let go, instead Dick’s cry made him only suck harder. Some people might think this was a submissive act, but he knew he had the power here. He had the power to prove they needed and loved each other. He wouldn’t do this for anyone else, but with Dick it was different.

Dick's yell when he came echoed in through the gym. He slid down the wall until he was face-to-face with Bruce. "I love you. Don't want you to be forced to get rid of me," he said. He buried his head in Bruce's chest. "When I heard what people were saying in town I knew it had to be worse for you at work."

Bruce cupped the back of Dick’s head. “I mean what I said… ya know, before.”

"I know, it was just different to hear people say stuff like that when it when it was true," Dick looked up. "You know it doesn't matter to me what they think right? It's none of their business who I'm in love with."

“I won’t hide,” Bruce said. “I won’t let us hide this. It’s too important.”

That was what Dick wanted to hear. "Want you now," he said trying to undo Bruce's pants. "Need you."

“You don’t have to,” Bruce said, although he didn’t sound very convincing.

"I want to," Dick said worming a hand into Bruce's pants. He looked around until his eyes landed on a bottle of massage oil across the room. "Be right back," he said scrambling up to get the oil.

Bruce looked again at the mirrored wall and thought having sex into the workout room was suddenly a very good idea. He wondered exactly what Dick had in mind.

Dick walked back to a now standing and naked Bruce. He trailed one hand down Bruce's chest to cup his erection. Not saying anything he used his other hand to drizzle oil on Bruce's cock and covered it in oil. With a slightly embarrassed look on his face he pressed the bottle into Bruce's hand and turned around, bracing himself against the mirror.

“I like it when you blush,” Bruce said. His eyes locked with Dick’s in the mirror. “I want you to keep your eyes open and watch your face while I fuck you.”

"Was planning to," Dick said arching back into Bruce's fingers. "Needed to feel you and see you.."

“I want you to feel it tonight…” Bruce whispered as he slipped three fingers in. “I want you to think about me, about what I can do to you and give you. Don't want you to worry when others give you trouble.”

"Don't care about them as long as you're here," Dick said looking at Bruce in the mirror. "And I always feel you, Bruce."

“Watch,” Bruce hissed again, this time grasping Dick’s hips and entering him.

Dick moaned and alternated between looking straight ahead and into Bruce's reflection and to the right where he could watch Bruce pump into him. "Harder," he gasped out.

Bruce groaned deeply but did as his lover demanded, pushing in deeper and harder. He knew his hands would leave bruises on Dick’s hips, but somehow that was strangely satisfying.

Dick's erection started to come back as Bruce rubbed over his prostrate repeatedly. He started rocking back at just the right time to meet each thrust. "Please," he begged Bruce.

“Do you want it bad enough?” Bruce demanded.

"Please, Bruce, don't tease me," Dick said. With his arms supporting his weight he couldn't move his hands down to take care of himself. He thrust back harder whispering 'please' over and over.

“Love the way you beg,” Bruce whispered and shifted his hand down to rub his lover’s cock.

Dick kept his eyes locked on Bruce's in the mirror. He tensed and came, mouth open and panting but not saying anything. Bruce came right after him, his own eyes locked with Dick’s. Each time they made love, it topped the last time, each time intense and moving.

As soon as they had both stopped shaking he pulled Dick back against him. "Feel better?" Bruce asked. One hand was wrapped around Dick's waist and the other was brushing over his chest. "You look so good," he added.

“You look better,” Dick panted.

"Could stay here all day," Bruce said. "But then we'd be late. We really need to get ready soon."

“You gonna tell me where we’re going yet?” Dick thought maybe he could get at least a hint from Bruce when he was still in a compromising situation.

"There will be food involved," Bruce said, grinning at Dick's frustration over having to wait for his surprise.

 

“I know this isn’t exactly your kind of thing,” Bruce said as they rode up in the elevator alone. His hand was on the small of Dick’s back and he kept caressing the crisp new material of the suit. “It’s nice here… the view is spectacular. There’s… other stuff.”

"It's good," Dick said. "Just a little nervous, but I doubt anyone will say anything with you here. Thanks for bringing me though. Nobody's going to wonder about us any more."

“I just get to show off what they’re missing,” Bruce said quickly as the elevator came to a stop.

The conversation in the room died down when people noticed them stepping off the elevator with Bruce's hand still on Dick's back. This was the upper crust of Gotham though, and no one stared too overtly or stopped their conversations altogether. They were led to their table on the edge of the dance floor, fielding greetings from people they passed on the way there.

After they were seated, Bruce laid his hands over Dick’s and leaned over the table to whisper to him. “I promise we can go wherever you want next time. Maybe that pizza place you like.”

"Do I get to pick your clothes for that?" Dick whispered back with an evil grin on his face..

Bruce gave his lover the patented Wayne scowl that would frighten anybody except Dick and Alfred. “Bruce Wayne doesn’t do jeans.”

Dick didn't answer, but he was still grinning when the waiter came up to take their orders. He was going to get Bruce out in jeans and a t-shirt soon.

The waiter turned to Bruce, indicating that he expected Bruce to order for both of them. “What can I get for you gentlemen this evening, sir?”

Bruce had ordered for both of them and was considering drinks when he realized Dick might not appreciate having his dinner picked for him. "If that's okay with you, Dick?" he tacked on awkwardly.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Dick held up his hands. He hadn’t understood what most of the menu said. “Just promise me it’ll be dead and cooked.”

Dinner passed without much conversation other then commenting on the food. It was a comfortable silence just enjoying being out in public without anyone bothering them. They could both tell who wasn't happy to see them together but no one was complaining out loud. Even better a few people stopped by to talk to Bruce and make it clear that they were fine with the two of them.

The live band started to play something slow and instrumental, as they were finishing up their desert. Dick was eating a large piece of chocolate cake and Bruce was sipping a double scotch. Couples were drifting towards the dance floor when Bruce cleared his throat. “I thought… we could maybe, have a another photo opportunity.”

"You asking me to dance Bruce?" Dick said starting to stand up. "Because there's no way I could say no to that."

Bruce gulped down the rest of his scotch swiftly and stood up. “I have to lead,” he said and then added quickly. “It’s the only way I know how to dance.”

Dick snorted as he took Bruce's hand. "I don't mind when you lead, Bruce. I kinda expected it actually."


	4. Enlightenment

Dick was thinking about how quickly things had moved after their night out as he curled up around an exhausted Bruce. There had been a rash of articles about them and people had tried to get pictures, but Bruce were too upstanding for anything to stick. They'd been 'out' for two weeks now and things were calming down. Bruce had been working way too hard though, and he was barely making it through patrols.

The next morning Bruce still seemed exhausted. "Bruce, you need to take a night off," Dick said while they were getting dressed. "I can handle it for a night or two."

Bruce reached and ran his hand over Dick’s cheek. “I can’t let you go out alone.”

"We've been over this before, remember. I WAS you when you were gone. I went out alone every night," Dick said. "I just don't want you getting hurt because you're so tired. You wouldn't let me go out if I was as tired as you are."

“That’s different,” Bruce argued with a growing scowl on his face.

"How is it…" Dick's voice trailed off in frustration. "Hey, I haven't seen Hal in a while and I know it's been quiet up there. I can call him down and he can patrol with me for a few nights. Can even have him use his ring to look like you so no one in town knows."

“That settles it,” Bruce grunted, rolling onto Dick and pinning him to the bed. “You’re not going out alone. You’re not going out with anyone but me.”

"You don't own me, Bruce," Dick said. There was a note of warning in his voice. "You get some rest today and a short patrol tonight. As long as you catch up on your sleep I won't mention it again, and stop being all jealous about Hal. If it weren't for him we wouldn't even be together."

Bruce started to nuzzle Dick’s neck. “I’m not giving in…” he mumbled, “I’m just compromising. I’ll limit my hours on patrol tonight, but I’m still going out with you. And don’t discuss HIM in our bed.”

Dick chuckled, but it felt good in a way to have Bruce so jealous. "If I let you fuck me good morning will that make it all better?" he asked innocently.

“You always let me fuck you good morning,” Bruce noted and started to suck a hickey onto Dick’s neck.

Dick wracked his brain for a minute. "Okay, if you come home for a nap, you get a nooner too." He grabbed the lube next to the bed, carefully not thinking about the fact that Alfred replaced it every day. The first time he'd thought about that it had broken the mood. He dribbled some on Bruce's fingers then tossed it on the bed where they could both get to it easily.

“I like nooners,” Bruce grunted as he started to slip two fingers into Dick. “But this time on the hood of the Batmobile.” He liked to fuck Dick in the Batcave sometimes, making him somehow closer to the Bat.

"Fuck, yes, whatever," Dick moaned. He pretty much gave up on coherent thought once any part of Bruce was inside him... a fact that had been used against him more then once. "More? Please."

“I like it when you beg for it,” Bruce groaned, taking his fingers out and replacing them with his cock.

"I always beg for it," Dick said. "If I'm really, really good you beg too." He started moving underneath Bruce. He couldn't move much with while pinned to the bed, but he knew how to rock back into Bruce just a little and tighten his ass enough to drive Bruce crazy.

Bruce growled like he always did when Dick did that. He started to drive into Dick harder. Sometimes he could fuck Dick for over an hour, using the control of the Bat, but at times like this Dick snapped his beloved control.

Dick's constant moans increased in volume until they were echoing off the walls. "Bruce, love you," he yelled as he came, still moving against Bruce, using his spasms to pull him to the edge.

Bruce collapsed on top of Dick after he came and muttered something sounding suspiciously like, “Me, too.”

Dick enjoyed the few minutes of cuddling before they had to get up for real. At least Bruce was finally letting Dick shower with him before work. "Okay, Bruce, I need to get to college and you need to get to work so we can make it back here for a nap and… playtime," he said as he started to pull himself out of bed.

Bruce caught Dick’s wrist to stop him from escaping completely. “I really meant what I said,” he mumbled. That was Bruce-speak for ‘I really do love you’.

"I know," Dick said with a blinding grin, as he leaned back down for another kiss. "But you still need to get more rest over the next few days."

 

Later that afternoon, after a very entertaining playtime and enjoyable nap, Dick was wandering downstairs when Alfred cornered him.

"Master Dick, you need to do something about Master Bruce's lack of sleep. He never listens to me about his sleep patterns, but he might listen to you," he said.

“That’s already taken care of Al,” Dick laughed. Bruce was still upstairs sleeping. Dick’s strategy was to wear Bruce out sexually and it seemed to be working.

"He went back to work as soon as you left to use the bathroom," Alfred said with a snort. "He's not that easy to convince you know, and I'm not sure your… methods… leave him that rested."

Dick’s face fell a little and shivered at the proof that again Alfred did indeed know everything. “Bruce is an insomniac, guess that will never change.”

"Master Bruce is stubborn and driven, but there's nothing stopping him from sleeping if he wants too. If you can't get him to sleep you'd better be ready to deal with him being even grouchier," Alfred said. He was absently straightening pictures in the hall while he talked.

“What did you use to do to get him to sleep when he was a kid?” Dick asked, following behind Alfred.

"He still listened to me when he was a child. Now I have to guilt him into resting and even that seldom works. You'll have to find your own way in this Master Dick."

“Alfred…” Dick hesitated before he asked Alfred this. “Do you think I’m good for Bruce?”

"Yes, you are the only one he could ever feel safe with, and the only one who can know all of him. If it weren't for you I think he'd always be alone," Alfred said with a small smile. "I know he's a lot of work, but I think he's good for you, too."

“He’s a pain in the ass…” Dick said and then realized how that could be mistaken, or at least by someone with a young male mind. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Alfred just grinned at Dick's rising blush. "I know exactly how you meant it," he said, all traces of the grin wiped quickly off his face. "Now I believe you have homework and I have more cleaning to do. Just try to get him to rest for the next few days."

“Yes, Al,” Dick agreed immediately. “I wonder if I could drug him…”

"Don't," was all Alfred said as he wandered off, purposefully cleaning as he went.

 

"Just a quick patrol right, Bruce? Then back here and bedtime?" Dick asked as they were pulling on their costumes in the Batcave.

“Quick and dirty,” Bruce grunted. He was watching Dick as he dressed. “I’m still not thrilled with the design of your costume.”

"I needed something more grownup," Dick said as he ran his hand over his chest. "Does it need to be tighter?"

“It’s too tight already,” Bruce grumbled. “And what’s with the nipples?”

"Like I said, all grownup. Just be glad Alfred talked me out of making an anatomically correct codpiece." Dick doubled over laughing at the look on Bruce's face. "God, Bruce, I love it when you get jealous. You're cute and intimidating at the same time. Now lets get this done so we can go to bed."

“I’m going to fuck you just for laughing at me,” Bruce grumbled, already making plans to use rope in a new and interesting way.

"Patrol, then fuck, then sleep." Dick ticked the items off on his fingers to make sure Bruce got the point. "Are we taking the car or the plane?"

 

Of all the stupid ways to get himself injured, Dick couldn't believe it had been like this. They'd been fighting some punks in a back alley and Dick had slipped on some garbage after doing an elaborate back flip. He had landed wrong and probably just sprained his ankle, but that didn't stop the bad guy from laughing at him as he landed a few well-aimed kicks. Of course, it also didn't stop Batman from beating the shit out of said bad guy.

"Batman, don't kill him," Robin gasped out. "Fuck, I sprained my ankle and I think he cracked one of my ribs." He started trying to pull himself upright.

“Not going to kill him,” Batman growled, landing another solid kick and smiling when he felt another of the asshole’s ribs crack. “Just teaching him a lesson.”

"Little help getting to the car would be nice," Robin said. His breath was coming in short gasps and the pain was getting worse. He knew Batman would stop to help him back to the car.

At Robin’s small gasp of pain, Batman left the thug groaning and bleeding on the ground. He walked up and scooped Robin into his arms with a grunt. “You’re much heavier than you used to be.”

"Wait until I'm hurt then call me fat. That's not very nice," Robin said, trying to smile. Now that he had Batman on his way to the car he needed to calm him down so he didn't get too upset about the injury. "We're still having sex after you tape these up."

“Of course,” Batman agreed and settled Robin in the passenger’s side of the Batmoblie. He wanted to kill someone for hurting Robin.

"Wasn't your fault, Bruce. I landed bad after a flip and ended up on the ground." Now that they were safe in the Batmobile, Dick could slip out of his Robin persona without flipping Bruce out. After he made sure the windows were set to opaque, he reached out and brushed his fingers over Bruce's jaw. "Stop grinding your teeth like that. I'm fine and the cops are picking up the bad guys right now I bet."

“You’re hurt,” was all that Batman replied, gripping the steering wheel tight. He wasn’t like Dick, able to switch easily in and out of his persona. When he had the mask on, he was Batman. Batman was a separate person from Bruce Wayne. But one thing was the same. Batman loved Robin and Bruce loved Dick. Whenever he was really upset, Batman was lucky if he could get a full sentence out.

Dick settled back in his seat. He knew he wasn't going to get through to Batman so he'd have to wait until they were back and Bruce came out. He kept one hand moving over Batman's arm and leg the whole drive back though. He knew that a physical touch helped get across the fact that he was okay and not upset.

Batman even insisted in carrying him out of the car and setting him down on a cot. “Don’t move,” was his simple command. He stripped off his armour quickly, growling at Dick when he shifted to sit up.

"Bruce, I was just sitting up. You'll need me sitting to wrap this," Dick said. "It really isn't that bad. Just a cracked rib and I don't think the ankle is even sprained. I just kinda twisted it. I've been hurt a lot worse then this before."

“Don’t you think I know that!” Bruce snapped, still mixed up in the headspace of Batman. He was now just wearing the small cotton shorts he wore under his armour as he trudged over to Dick, pushing him back on the cot. “Don’t you think I know how much I’ve failed you?”

"Bruce, I slipped and fell down. Bad guy kicked me and you saved me. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? Now, get me bandaged up and take me to bed," Dick said. The last thing he needed was Bruce getting overprotective again. He was not a kid anymore, and he could handle getting hurt every now and then.

Bruce was now running his hands over Dick’s body obsessively. “You’re going to be on bed rest while your injuries heal.”

"Long as you're in bed with me, I'll stay there. I can heal up and you can rest up," Dick said. "It's the weekend and I'll be fine by Monday." Dick grabbed Bruce's head and pulled him down for a kiss.

Bruce’s hands went up to frame Dick’s face as he kissed him deeply. He’d stay in bed this time if it meant keeping Dick safe. His mind was already turning over alternatives to keep him permanently safe.

 

Dick yelped the next morning when Bruce's arm snaked around him, avoiding his injured rib. "I just need to go to the bathroom, Bruce. I'll come right back to bed."

“I’ll go with you,” Bruce said easily enough. “If you won’t accept crutches from Alfred, then you can accept me helping you around.”

"Will you hold it for me?" Dick asked with a smirk as continued his wiggle to the edge of the bed with Bruce right behind him.

Bruce groaned darkly and scowled at Dick. “It’s too early in the morning to be playful. I’ll help you to the bathroom, but then you’re spending the rest of the day in bed. I’ll have Alfred bring the laptops up.” This was Bruce’s way of ‘suggesting’ that he could get work done and Dick could play video games or surf the Internet.

"That's a good idea," Dick said as he tried to wiggle against Bruce as much as he could with his injuries. "It'll be nice to just spend the weekend in bed with you, and maybe I can start learning more about Wayne Industries. I'd like to find something I could do to help that I enjoy."

“That’s good,” Bruce nodded. “You are, after all, going to inherit Wayne Industries.”

"Not for a long, long time," Dick said, sounding kind of panicky. "We can adopt a business loving kid before then and you and I can get an island somewhere. I just want to be able to help you out for now. Give you some more free time to spend with me."

Bruce smiled a little at Dick’s reaction. The truth was, he wanted Dick to need him and always stay close to him. He was a possessive bastard and Dick put up with it. He ran his hand through Dick’s hair. “I’m not sure I want children… it would take away from my time with you.”

Dick slumped back against Bruce as he finished up in the bathroom and let himself be almost carried back to bed. "We can talk about it later. I'm a little more tired then I thought. Can we take a nap before we get up for real?"

Bruce took a look at Dick’s tired face and set him back on the bed then started to fluff the pillows. He knew Dick slept better with him there. “We can sleep a little while.”

 

By Monday evening Dick's injuries were feeling much better, but he was going quietly crazy. Bruce had gone beyond his usual over protectiveness during the weekend. Telling Dick that he was going out alone, and to stay out of the Batcave altogether had been too much. There hadn't even been argument. Bruce just told him and left.

Dick just about lost it when Bruce came home with some more college course catalogues the next day. “I though maybe you could take more classes,” Bruce suggested. “I know you’re only taking a few part time.”

"We decided I was just going part time so I could work with you, do my work as Robin," Dick said in a voice that was so calm Bruce should have realized he was upset. "I don't think I have time for more college classes right now."

“We can make time,” Bruce insisted and opened the course catalogue to art history. Art was safe. “I can take care of the streets.”

"You want me to give up being Robin and go to school?" Dick asked. "We've been through this before. I'm old enough to make my own choices and I want to be Robin. You can't decide my life like that."

“I just want to keep you safe, Dick…”

"You can't keep me locked away from Robin," Dick said. "Batman and Robin, Bruce and Dick, they're both partners. Don't you understand that if you cut Robin off like that…" Dick stopped talking and turned away when Bruce's face remained blank.

“If anything happened to you Dick…” Bruce said quietly, leaving the rest of the sentence left unsaid. Of course, he didn’t know what would happen to him if he lost Dick or Robin. “Bruce needs Dick more than Batman needs Robin.”

"God, Bruce. You're not my father and I'm sure as hell not some wife you can order around." Dick was shouting now. "I. Am. Robin. You think I don't worry about you every time we go out? It's part of who we are though, and if you won't let me be Robin here…"

“Don’t you dare threaten to leave me,” Bruce growled dangerously, stalking towards Dick. “And I may not be your father, but I was the one who cleaned up your scrapped knees and when you had a nightmare, I held you at night. And you are like my wife…” Bruce stopped when that didn’t sound right to him either.

"Just drop it," Dick said as he headed to one of the Batcave entrances. "I'm going out tonight. You can come with me, or we can each go out on our own."

“You can’t go out!” Bruce bellowed from behind him. “I locked you out of the system.”

"I overrode that yesterday," Dick called back. "You forget that I'm the one that does most of the maintenance on the systems. I'm not a fucking kid, Bruce. You can't just lock me out of the Batcave and send me to my room."

“Then I’m coming with you, you stubborn little shit!” He’d go with Dick and he’d make sure he didn’t get himself killed, but he wasn’t going to like it. The Bat was not a happy man.

By the time they were halfway through the patrol, Robin was sure he was going to top Batman in the jaw grinding. As soon as the uniforms had gone on it was all business, but the mood was absolutely oppressive. When the patrol was over, he just wanted to get away from the angry silence and rushed through changing. He was standing halfway between his room and Bruce's room, trying to decide which one to sleep in, when Bruce caught up with him.

“You don’t sleep alone,” Bruce growled softly. He didn’t care if they were fighting, Dick didn’t like to sleep alone.

"Wasn't sure if you wanted me there," Dick said quietly as he walked toward Bruce's room.

“I’ll always want you,” Bruce said, looking away. Expressing his feelings was always hard for Bruce. He didn’t want one fight to split them up.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay? You want me and Robin comes with the package." Dick got into bed still wearing his sweats and started to relax.

Bruce started on his side of the bed but lying next to Dick did the same thing it did to him every night. His hand snuck over to Dick’s side of the bed and started to tease under the top Dick’s sweat pants, just above the crack of his ass.

Dick reached out and took his hand, twining their fingers together. "Good night, Bruce."

“Just because we’re… you know… fighting, doesn’t mean we can’t…”

"Bruce, you know I love you, but it feels weird to be doing anything when we don't even know if we're gonna be able to work things out," Dick answered.

Bruce removed his hand like he had been burned and then promptly removed himself from the bed. Dick thought they weren't going to make. Dick had always been the one to have faith in them.

"Bruce, come back to bed," Dick said pulling himself up with a groan as his ribs throbbed. "I'm tired, I'm sore, and you're upset. I just want us to go to sleep and talk about this in the morning. Didn't want you to leave bed."

“I don’t need much sleep,” Bruce said, backing away from the bed and towards the door. “I need to train. I’ve been slacking off lately.”

"But," Dick started to say then sighed. "Fine. You'll do whatever you want to anyway. Good night, Bruce."

“I’ll be up later to do some work,” Bruce mumbled. “I know you don’t like to sleep alone… I’ll be in the room.”

Dick just nodded and closed his eyes. Bruce would know he was upset but if he tried to talk he'd realize just how upset he was.

 

“Mister Jordan,” Alfred greeted as he opened the door, taking the man’s coat. “I’m glad you could come.”

"Alfred, it's good to see you," Hal said. "I was perplexed by your invitation though. What's going on?"

“I’m afraid that certain young men under my care have the emotional maturity of a rock,” Alfred sighed heavily. “I thought that since you were their age and persuasion…”

Hal grimaced at Alfred's words. "You didn't talk to Bruce before you called me did you?"

“Of course not,” Alfred made a tsking sound at Hal. “I’ve dealt with Master Bruce since he was a boy. I know he doesn’t play well with others.”

"I told him after the last time that if he drove Dick off again I'd have no problem taking his place," Hal said. "So what did he do now? If it can be fixed I'll help, but if not I'm taking Dick out of here."

“He loved Master Dick too much,” Alfred said simply.

"That fucking idiot tried to get him to give up Robin didn't he?" Hal snarled after he figured out what Alfred was hinting at. "How can you think he really loves Dick if he can't even understand how import being Robin is to him?"

Alfred remained calm during Hal’s rant. “As I said, Master Bruce has the emotional maturity of a rock. This is the only remotely successful relationship he’s had, and, yes, he did try to make Master Dick give up Robin. The operative word there is try.”

"Aside from this has he been happy?" Hal asked quietly, not having to specify whom he was talking about.

“Deliriously so,” Alfred admitted. “Master Dick just has to mature a little more and learn to manage Master Bruce properly. He’s still rather… insecure.”

"If he's happy then I'll talk to them, but I'm warning you. If Bruce won't see reason I won't hesitate to take Dick out of here. Where are they?"

“You’re acting as if Master Dick would go with you,” Alfred pointed out. “They’re in the game room.”

Hal didn't answer Alfred's challenge about Dick. Instead he stalked off in the direction Alfred had pointed out. What did Alfred know anyway? Last time Dick and Bruce had really fought he'd been ready to leave with Hal.

Hal found Dick in the game room watching television and Bruce watching Dick from across the room. Even when they were at home, Bruce Wayne loomed over Dick.

"Hey, what are you doing here, Hal? Is everything okay?" Dick asked as soon as he saw who'd entered the room. He flicked the remote and turned off the TV before he got up.

“Yes, what are you doing here, Mr. Jordan?” Bruce repeated the question from the shadows. He was scowling at Hal, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Alfred seemed to think I needed to visit," Hal said with a matching scowl for Bruce. "You want to go for a walk Dick?" He dismissed Bruce with a flick of his eyes and focused on Dick. He wasn't going to do anything to help Bruce until he was sure it was for the best.

“Sure, we could go for a walk,” Dick replied. He was somewhat agreeing just to piss off Bruce.

"Don't make me have to hunt you down, Jordan," Bruce snarled as he shoved his way past Hal and out of the room.

Dick was happy to see the jealous flare in Bruce, even though he knew he shouldn't encourage it. “Let’s go. If you don’t mind doom and gloom, you’ll love the Wayne Manor grounds.”

"So," Hal asked after they were outside. "You want to tell me what's going on that got Alfred so worried he called me in?"

“Alfred called you?” Dick moaned under his breath.

"I know some of what's going on. He tried to make you give up Robin, but what else did he do. You two looked like you'd had more then a simple fight."

“You know Bruce is crazy, right?” Dick muttered. “He’s fucking crazy.”

"Tell me what happened," Hal said. He bit off the answer he wanted to give regarding Bruce's sanity.

“He’s trying to make me into some sort of fucking housewife,” Dick spat.

"I figured that out already. What caused it? Has it been going on for a while or is it something new?" Hal asked.

“Well, he’s always been an over protective bastard,” Dick grumbled, now strolling in the back acres of the Wayne estate. “But it all got triggered when I got injured, I suppose.”

"So before this injury things were okay, I mean you two were getting along?"

“Well yeah, but he wasn’t taking care of himself. He forgets to sleep and eat if I don’t remind him. But he was starting to expressive himself better. He says ‘me too’ now… then, when I tell him I love him,” Dick said that with a small smile on his face.

Hal wanted to start blowing things up. They were obviously in love and the bastard was probably even good for Dick. He'd caught the soft look in Dick's eyes as he talked about Bruce, and he wasn't going to ruin things for him. "So he's an idiot, but he's doing it because he's scared of losing you. I suppose I could talk to him and try to explain how important Robin is to who you are."

“I don’t know Hal,” Dick answered uncertainly. “Bruce doesn’t like you very much.”

"Yeah well, the reason he doesn't like me much is the reason he'll listen to me," Hal said without going into more detail. "I'll go hunt him down while you go let Alfred know you're okay. Bruce is probably in the training room beating things up right?"

“Probably,” Dick agreed, again with a smile. The image of Bruce working out with that scowl on his face always made him smile. “He has a bit of a temper.”

Hal reached out and snagged Dick's arm, pulling him into a brief hug before pushing him toward the house. He was going to do the noble thing here, but he deserved at least a hug for fixing things here. "Go on now, and ignore any yelling," he said as he activated his ring and slid into the earth toward the Batcave.

When Hal found Bruce he was indeed beating the shit out a punching bag. He had to admit that Bruce was an attractive man, especially seeing him in those low riding sweat pants. Hal also realized that Dick’s life and destiny were completely intertwined with this man.

"Have fun talking to Dick?" Bruce asked without looking over at Hal. "Didn't take you long to show up here to ride to his rescue did it?"

“I was called here,” Hal pointed out. He looked at the green punching bag and arched his eyebrow. “I didn’t know they made punching bags to match my uniform.”

"Is it the same colour? I didn't notice," Bruce said as he landed a few particularly brutal punches. "So, are you here to threaten to take Dick away again? You should be happy I'm keeping him safe you know."

“Safe perhaps, but what about happy?”

"I'm just protecting him. I'd rather have him upset with me for a while then dead. He's just doing this because he's used to it. He doesn't have to do it like I do." Bruce finally stopped punching and started unwrapping the tape from his hands. "Tell me whatever it is you think you have to say and get out of here."

“Alright, Dick loves you, you piece of shit,” Hal growled. “As much as I don’t understand it, he loves you.”

"I know that and I don't want him to get hurt because of me," Bruce growled back.

“As much as you may not want to believe this, Dick is his own man. He stays with you because he loves you, not because he needs protecting. He would put himself in danger regardless of whether or not he was with you. He has the same calling to save people that we both share.”

"No!" Bruce whirled back to face the punching bag. "I saw his family die because of Batman. I don't want Dick to die because of him, too."

“Then put Batman to rest,” Hal reasoned. “Choose Dick over the Bat.”

"He's not something I can put away. I am Batman. You should know that," Bruce answered quietly.

“I do,” Hal nodded his head moving a little closer to Bruce. Bruce really was a thick son of a bitch, but Hal was starting to understand how much Bruce loved Dick. “So does Dick. But do you understand the same thing applies to your lover?”

Bruce gave a bitter laugh. "I can see even sending him with you wouldn't keep him safe would it. You'd just let him go out and keep putting himself in danger."

“Yes, it’s what we do,” Hal answered simply. “It’s what we are. Would you really love him if he was some simpering desk jockey?”

"You don't understand," Bruce said bitterly. "How could you understand? With that ring you're actually safe out there. You're not going to fall to your death if your partner screws up." He hit the bags a few more times. "So are you here to try to convince Dick to go with you?"

“No. He loves you,” Hal told Bruce. “I’m jealous of what you have with him. Do you think it’s a coincidence that most superheroes work alone? We’re hard, if not impossible to live with.”

"If he stays with me I'll get him killed," Bruce yelled back. "I don't want him to die and leave me."

"So you'll settle with pushing him away and spending the rest of your life alone? Bruce, he's going to be Robin even he leaves. Only difference will be that then he will be alone and he won't have your tools or your help. You want him out there alone?"

“No!” Bruce growled and punched the bag savagely again. He pulled back and realized he had split his knuckles open. He looked down and the blood seeping out of the wound and said, “Dick hates it when I do that.”

"Because he hates to see you hurt as much as you hate it when he's hurt. He doesn't ask you to give it up though does he?" When he got no answer, Hal sighed in disgust as he started to walk out. "Just think about it Bruce. You're hurting him far worse then whatever injury started all this."

“He’s my whole world,” Bruce answered just before Hal left the room. It wasn’t a lot of words strung together, but it said more than perhaps anything else could have.

Hal found Alfred dusting just two rooms away from the training room. "I talked to him. God only knows if he listened," he said. "If Dick leaves, tell him he's welcome to give me a call."

“I think not, Mister Jordan,” Alfred said. “Master Dick belongs here with his family.”

"If you weren't afraid he was going to drive Dick away you wouldn't have called me, and I'm not sure if I got through to him." While he was talking a green glow settled over Hal and he shimmered into uniform then took off, flying straight through the roof.

“Kids,” Alfred tutted under his breathe and continued to dust. He truly believed that his young men would make it together. After all, some one had to take care of them when he was gone and they only had each other.

 

Dick had headed down to look for Bruce in the Batcave as soon as Hal had left. He knew Bruce would make his way to the cave eventually and he wanted to be working. He was pretty sure Hal would take his side, but, just in case, he wanted to be busy when Bruce showed up.

Bruce came into the Batcave a few minutes later, his knuckles taped up to stop them from bleeding. After Hal had left the room, Bruce had worked the bag over until his knuckles looked like raw hamburger. “You’re still here,” he said in a monotone voice.

"And where did you think I was going?" Dick asked. He saw Bruce's hands and got up to pull him over to the medical area.

“Thought you might go with Hal,” Bruce admitted, following behind Dick.

"You really think I'd leave because we had a fight? Are you hoping I'll leave, Bruce?" Dick asked as he started to bandage the bloody hands.

“No,” Bruce answered sullenly. “But you said if… IF we were going to work this out the other night in bed. I’ve never thought about us as an ‘if’. I’ve always thought we would always work out.”

"So did I, but you can't force me to give up Robin. I love you, even if you are an idiot sometimes, but you can't ask me to change who I am," Dick said quietly. "I don't want to leave. I'm not the one who called Hal."

“Alfred called Hal,” Bruce told Dick. Dick was now leaning in close between Bruce’s legs and their heads were close. “And I am an idiot and do…” Bruce had to stop and take a deep breath. “…love you.”

"So you're going to let me be Robin? I've been doing dangerous stuff since I was a kid you know. I grew up in the circus, and…" Dick voice got quiet. "I can't sit here and watch you go out by yourself every night. Robin has to be with Batman as much as I have to be with you."

"I, well you know… what I said before… all of you," Bruce answered him, a little puzzled look on his face. "I think I understand that it's not up to me if you are Robin. You are Robin, right?"

"Yeah, just as much as you are Batman," Dick said as he pulled Bruce down into his lap for a kiss.


End file.
